What's the spin on the best?

It seems everywhere I go, everyone asks the same questions. How's Shane Warne going? Has he started training? Do you think he will get back in the team? Is Stuart MacGill a better bowler?

I answer them all politely until the last one, and the answer is, in a word, no. Although statistical evidence can make the argument interesting, they are both wonderful craftsmen of the most difficult art the game presents.

Wrist spinners of quality are few and far between and Australia has been privileged over the past decade to have had two of the best. It is inevitable that people will make comparisons and judgements on who is better and why.

They are different bowlers and Warne is clearly the superior all-round cricketer but it is as leg spinners where the ultimate judgement should be passed.

Both men have outstanding figures, although one has played 107 Tests and the other only 26, which makes it impossible to compare just on statistics, which is always the argument from MacGill's supporters.

Sure, MacGill's 133 wickets at 26.30 with a strike rate of 52.2 are impressive numbers, in fact outstanding, but Warne's 491 wickets at 25.71 with a strike rate of 60.8 are not too bad, either.

The figures say MacGill takes 5.12 wickets a Test match compared with Warne at 4.59. Does this tell us the true story or does it tell us that MacGill until recently, generally played only as the second spinner to Warne when the conditions were spinner-friendly?

The other point to consider is that Allan Border and Mark Taylor used Warne a lot more than Waugh, who has had at his disposal some powerful fast-bowling artillery in Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Andy Bichel, who take most of the wickets before the leggie gets a trundle.

Let's forget the stats and just examine these two leggies. Warne was recently named in Wisden's top five cricketers of all time. His lethal weapon always has been his subtle variety of leg spinners.

Warne builds pressure like no other, he pins batsman to their crease as he dips the ball into the leg stump and fizzes it past their groping bat.

Warne relies on the basics and does them well. Top-class players, Daryll Cullinan aside, do not have trouble reading Warne, for that is not the difficult part, and he does not have a great wrong'un.

He has strong, thick fingers that can impart vicious revolutions on the ball. Earlier in his career, Warne possessed possibly the most lethal flipper of modern times but his greatest asset is his superb control, which sets him apart. This is exemplified by his outstanding international one-day career. It is a game that is generally not all that kind to his type of bowling, but Warne has excelled.

Who will forget his spells in the dying stages of the World Cup in 1999, or his 291 wickets at 25.82 with a strike rate of 36 and an economy rate at just a tick above four?

MacGill, whose dominance comes from sharply turning leg breaks, can consider this both his strength and his weakness. Perhaps the difference between Warne and MacGill is the line they bowl and therefore the danger they present.

MacGill often pitches on off stump and good players leave him to pass by with no concern. It was good to see him recently working on a slider as well as his top spinner.

He possesses a decent wrong'un that is more dangerous than Warne's, but his big weakness is his lack of control and high percentage of bad balls. This is the big difference between the two bowlers: it is what separates the best of the best.

When both bowlers are at the top of their game, Warne builds pressure like no other, he pins batsman to their crease as he dips the ball into the leg stump and fizzes it past their groping bat.

Batsmen may wait five or six overs for a bad one and then hope that they execute correctly.

MacGill, on the other hand, is slower through the air and draws the player to the ball. The smart player knows that with good footwork or a little patience, MacGill can be unsettled and easy pickings come at regular intervals.

They are different craftsmen, both plying the same trade, but the harsh reality is that MacGill is a top-class leg spinner and Warne is the best of the best.